New Conviva Data Shows Global Streaming Up 20% With Daytime Viewing Up 40% During COVID-19 Crisis

FOSTER CITY, Calif., April 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Conviva, the leader in global streaming media intelligence, released its COVID-19 Streaming Report today, revealing streaming viewing climbed sharply in recent weeks, up nearly 30% in the Americas (26% in U.S.) and 20% globally as viewers began adhering to strict social distancing guidelines. Daytime viewing tallied the largest increases in time spent viewing, with the 10am-5pm window up nearly 40% as homebound viewers stream news, shows and movies throughout the day.

"The last three weeks have dramatically changed how we work, socialize and interact. As we all adjust to the new normal, streaming and social video have become even more important to many American households," said Bill Demas, CEO of Conviva. "While the circumstances are unique and the shifting primetime is surprising, the streaming growth is not. We anticipate streaming providers will retain new viewers long after the coronavirus crisis has ended, as viewers embrace the variety and flexibility of the medium."

Shifting Primetime
As viewers watched more streaming content throughout the day, viewing peaks shifted from typical primetime hours (8pm-10pm) to earlier in the day. The daytime window (10am-5pm) saw the biggest increase, up 39% between March 9^th and March 23^rd. Surrounding times also saw a lift, with the early morning hours up 26% and pre-primetime early fringe up 20%. Notably, with a 2% drop, primetime was the only window where viewing was down.

Specific increases in daytime viewing hours were as follows:

• 10am – 38%
• 11am – 43%
• 12pm – 42%
• 1pm and 2pm – 41%
• 3pm – 37%
• 4pm – 33%

Streaming Increases Globally; Regional Numbers Vary
In the U.S., streaming viewing hours increased 25.6% between March 3^rd and March 23^rd and 17.4% from March 10^th to the 23^rd. Globally, streaming viewing hours were up 20.7% between March 3^rd and March 23^rd, and 14.7% from March 10^th to the 23^rd.

Global growth was led by the Americas and Oceania, up nearly 27% each within a two week period, as well as Africa, which was up nearly 33%. Europe saw a smaller lift as compared to two weeks prior, up only 2.2% over the same time period, but has seen larger increases in recent days with the launch of Disney+. Asia, historically a mobile-first streaming market, netted a decline, down 10% as viewers stay home. 

News is Local and Social
Increasingly people are tuning into Facebook and YouTube to watch news videos as viewers look for status updates on COVID-19 restrictions, cases and general health information within their local community.

Conviva analyzed the performance of over one thousand news outlets on social media to determine how a recent 30-day block (Feb 21-March 23) compared to the prior 30 days. Viewing for local news outlets on Facebook saw exponential growth, with total video views up 247% and an average increase of 118% in views per video. Local news organizations increased Facebook posts by 19% and videos by 7% during this same period.

Despite the increase in local news posts and viewership on Facebook, Twitter led in viewer engagement with a 196% increase in average engagements per video and a 63% increase in overall engagement rate for local news accounts.

YouTube, a platform typically known more for its views than engagements, also saw a surge in likes, dislikes and comments on videos. The engagement rate for global news and local news accounts both jumped over 50% in the past 30 days.

About Conviva
Conviva is the leader in streaming media intelligence, powered by its real-time platform. More than 250 industry leaders and brands – including CBS, Cirque Du Soleil, DAZN, Disney+, HBO, Hulu, Sky, Sling TV, TED, Univision and WarnerMedia – rely on Conviva to maximize their consumer engagement, deliver the quality experiences viewers expect and drive revenue growth. With a global footprint of more than 500 million unique viewers watching 150 billion streams per year across 3 billion applications streaming on devices, Conviva offers streaming providers unmatched scale for continuous video measurement, intelligence and benchmarking across every stream, every screen, every second.

SOURCE Conviva